In a brief statement and FAQ published this week, TP-Link – which is based in Shenzhen, China – said the FCC's revised rules on radio-based equipment makes user reprogrammable firmware illegal in America, and therefore it cannot sell in the US routers that can be re-flashed by their owners.

"Devices sold in the United States will have firmware and wireless settings that ensure compliance with local laws and regulations related to transmission power," TP-Link said. "As a result of these necessary changes, users are not able to flash the current generation of open-source, third-party firmware."

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The FCC earlier backed off a bit on the matter, but maintains it will not allow devices that can be re-flashed to operate outside authorized radio frequency bands. TP-Link, however, said the FCC rules as they stand will not allow it to offer people the ability to reprogram their router firmware.

Of course, the manufacturer could design its hardware in a way that would stop user-installed firmware from changing the frequencies used by the radio electronics, which would suit the FCC. But that probably looks like too much hard work to TP-Link. Welcome to the world of low margins and high volumes.

Networking hardware vendor TP-Link today admitted violating US radio frequency rules by selling routers that could operate at power levels higher than their approved limits. In a settlement with the Federal Communications Commission, TP-Link agreed to pay a $200,000 fine, comply with the rules going forward, and to let customers install open source firmware on routers.

iv. TP-Link, working with TP-Link Technologies CO., Ltd., will investigate for certain of its router models the development of U-NII security solutions that would allow for the use of third-party firmware with its devices while meeting the Commission’s U-NII security requirements and maintaining the integrity of critical radio parameters. As part of this effort, TP-Link, working with TP-Link Technologies CO., Ltd., will cooperate and share information with interested developers of third-party software and chipset manufacturers.

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Nothing in the foregoing is intended to limit or affect the ability of TP-Link or TP-Link Technologies CO., Ltd.: (a) to assess, including by requiring demonstration by any such third-party software developer, whether the developer’s proposed designs will prevent access to the frequency or power level protocols in TP-Link devices and otherwise comply with the U-NII security requirements, and (b) to select, in its sole discretion, particular chipsets, that it will use in the manufacture of its devices.